In A Coma

[Chrissy22]

Have you ever been in one or know someone who has? Is it like a long sleep? Do you dream? Have many dreams or maybe dream that you’re alive living a normal life?

[ummmm]

I knew someone who was in a coma for quite some time. They actually wanted to turn the life support off. He said it was mainly nothing. Occasionally he'd hear voices but couldn't respond and then back to nothing.

[Sqad]

Short answer before I go off to my Club.
Yes to all your questions depending upon the cause of the coma.

[ummmm]

My friend fell out of the back of a moving van (approx 30/40mph) and sustained a brain injury.

[DTCwordfan]

Sqad's off to his club to become comatosed.....cheers.

[Canary42]

LOL at DTC.

[chelle7272]

I think peaple have diferent experiences. Saying that thougb my friend's experience was similar to ummmm's, occasionally hear things, but no context, mostly nothing.

[Sqad]

Well, scanty anecdotal answers which has surprised me on my return.
The answer to the OPer is it depends upon what part of the brain is damaged e.g cortex or auditory pathways or brainstem region AND the type of injury e.g trauma, bleeds embolus and tumour.

Taking into consideration the above factors the comatosed patient may hear sounds have dreams and this state may last anytime for one week to years.

[Peter Pedant]

I am surprised Sqad didnt say you ask them and see
Mike Inman ( something to do with the Assocn of Anaesthetists and some time GP actually ) did this in 1980 and got this

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2044.1980.tb05093.x

when you are v ill - your memory of the time you are ill telescopes down

[rowanwitch]

Medically induced coma , people don't seem to be aware of time passing, like a general anaesthetic. They do however have some recall of the waking up process. Coma for medical reasons the patients I nursed in itu who recovered remembered strange things.
The best story wasn't one of my patients but a couple of colleagues...


Nursing a young man who was in a coma after an accident, the girls very unprofessional but not unsurprisingly commented on the general proportions of his equipment.
He recovered and eventually came back to say goodbye. Recognising a voice he called across to one of them.

Oh nurse, thank you for the compliments about my manhood